Vessel for the transport of vehicles



June 24, 1941. D. M. BALDWIN 2,247,146

VESSEL FOR THE TRANSPORT OF VEHICLES Original Filed Aug. 1, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

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' INVENTOR Deavan Baldwin ATTQ RNEYS June 24, 1941. M BALDWIN 2,247,146

VESSEL FOR THE TRANSPORT OF VEHICLES Original Filed Aug. 1, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 2 20 INVENTOR 4*- DB'avam M. BaHw'm ATTORNEYS June 24,1941. D; M. BALDWIN VESSEL FOR THE TRANSPORTOF VEHICLES- Original FiledAug. 1, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVETOR ATTORNEYS June 24, 1941. D BALDWIN2,247,146

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INVNTQR I Dam/am Eahlwin BY III-w M ATTORNEYS Patented June 24, 1941Continuation of application Serial No. 287,798, August 1, 1939. Thisapplication (lctcber 22, 1940, Serial No. 362,287

(Cl. lid-72) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the transportation of vehicles in vesselsequipped with lifts and adapted for the loading of vehicles from portsor railwa terminals or yards, the storage of said vehicles and theunloading thereof at the point of destination. Phe word vehicle isemployed herein in its broadest sense as an instrument of conveyancehowever supported for movement, as for example, on wheels, runners,casters, or independent rollers. Examples of vehicles for which theinvention is particularly adapted are railway cars, trucks, tractors,trailers, airplanes, Army and Navy mechanized equipment, low fiat carsprimarily for use in the transportation of containers between docks,railway terminals or yards and the vessels thereof.

One object of this invention is to provide a vessel for the transport ofvehicles on a plurality of decks with power-operated lifts verticallyguided in shaftways by which the vehicles loaded or empty can betransferred from one deck to another.

A further object is to provide supplementary platforms in the shaftwayson which the vehicles can also be carried and this space there-. byfully utilized for the load carried by the vessel.

A further object is to provide for the horizontal removal from theshaftways of such supplementary platforms so that they will not need tobe hoisted when the lifts are carrying loads.

A further object is to provide for the support of the lifts and also ofthe supplementary platforms with their loads in the shaftwaysindependently of each other and of the hoisting apparatus.

A further object is to provide supplemental platforms in the shaftwayswhich may be attached to the undersides of the lifts by foldingsuspension rods for transferring loads between the main deck and thebottom deck.

A convenient though not essential form of vessel structure is in theprovision of four loading decks. Where such structure is provided afurther object of the invention is a construction in which the totaltravel required for the lifts in serving the four decks is approximatelyonly twice the distance between decks so that the lengths of cablesrequired and the capacity of the hoisting drums may be minimized.

A further object is to provide a vessel with the lifts suitably locatedand proportioned for the economical utilization of space by the vehiclesto be transported.

A further object is to provide a vessel in which the hoisting apparatusis suitably located in re lation to the power-generating and propulsionmachinery so as to properly balance the vessel. In the accompanying foursheets of drawings which form a part hereof, I have shown the inventionin connection with railway freight cars and I have provided rails on theelevator platforms and decks of the vessel for the convenient movement,guidance and location of the railway cars on the platforms and decks ofthe vessel. t should be understood, however, that such showing is purelyfor the purpose of illustration and is not limitative upon the scope orcharacter of this invention.

Figure l is a plan View of the forward end of a vessel which embodiesthis invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertica] longitudinal section through the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the stern of thevessel together with the landing bridge.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of thevessel including a shaftway with its lift, supplementary platforms andhoisting apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the shaftways of thevessel looking forward.

Fig. 6 is a plan view to a larger scale of a portion of a supplementalplatform together with a portion of the shaftway in the upper part ofwhich it is supported.

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical the same.

Fig. 8 shows one of the posts for supporting the lift. I

A vessel 25], with a top or weather deck Eta, a main deck 2"), a betweendeck lie, and a bottom or tank-top deck 2 id, has four pairs of trackson each deck on which freight cars are shown. The cars are removed fromand loaded on the vessel when docked over a bridge 23 leading from thedock and temporarily connected with the main deck at the stern.Longitudinal girders 52 i afford longitudinal stiffness to the vessel.Stanchions 25 are set between the girders. Four shaftways are framed ateach deck between the longitudinal girders and transverse girders 2i;and are located in a transverse line back of where the hull commences totaper for the bow, so that deck space will be mainly aft, but forwardthere is space for eight cars on the main deck and for four cars on eachof the two decks below.

In each shaltway is a lift consisting of an upper platform 27, a lowerplatform 23, and truss sides 29. The upper platform carries a pairsection through of tracks 30 and the lower platform carries a pair oftracks 3|. Vertical guides 32 for the lifts are in the corners of theshaftways. Cables 33 lead from each of the lifts to eight hoisting drums34 located over each shaftway. The drums are driven from a motor 35through suitable reduction gearing such as worm-gear speed reducers 36,spur pinions 3i, and gears 38, formed with the drums. Brake drums 39 arealso provided. The forward location of the Weight of this hoistingapparatus serves to balance the vessel against the location at the sternof the propulsion machinery including the engines and accessory powerplant ii]. The stacks 46a are at the sides of the vessel.

In each shaftway in addition to the lift with its platforms, there is asupplemental platform 4|, above the lift with a pair of tracks 42 onwhich a car is supported. This platform is narrower than the spacebetween the guides so that it can be removed horizontally forward out ofthe shaftway and supported and stored on the main deck while the lift isbeing used in transferring cars between the main deck and the otherdecks. The platform has wheels 43 which ride on special rails 46 on theupper platform of the lift, and on special rails 45 on the main deckforward of the shaftway. Retractable supports 46 hinged betweenstanchions serve to support the platform in the shaftway independentlyof the lift. Dowel pins M keep the platform in place when so supported.When the lift is raised under this platform, and the support istransferred to the lift, and the retractable supports are swung out ofthe way, a dowel pin 49% carried by a suitable support 68a keeps theplatform from shifting when so supported and it is being carried by thelift.

A second supplemental platform 53 in each shaftway with a pair of tracksmatches with the bottom deck. Folding supporting rods 52 hinged to theunderside of the lift serve to connect with folding rods 53 hinged tothe platform, in spaced relation, and when connected therewith hoist orlower it with a car thereon.

Posts 66 with screw jacks 6!, so positioned as not to interfere with thesupplemental platform 50, extend up from the bottom deck to support thelift with its platforms in matching relation with the main deck and thebetween deck to facilitate positioning and also to relieve the hoistingapparatus of the load. The jacks can be retracted to permit the loweringof the lift and bring the supplemental platform ll carried on it intomatching relation with the main deck in order to take off or load thecar thereon which is carried in the hatchway.

The operation of unloading and loading is preferably as follows:Assuming that the vessel arrives in port with an incoming load of carsto be discharged and replaced with an outgoing load, the loads includingfour cars carried in each of the shaftwa-ys, it will be desirable tounload simultaneously at the two outer tracks and lifts. Also it will bedesirable to unload simultaneously at the two middle tracks and lifts,and likewise as to loading, in order to avoid excessive listing of thevessel.

A procedure which will keep to a minimum the load put upon the hoistingapparatus will now be described in relation to one of the lifts,starting with four cars in the shaftway as shown in Fig. 4. The cars onthe tracks on the main deck leading to this lift and the car on theupper platform of the lift will be run off the vessel.

The lift is next hoisted and the car on the lower platform of the liftis run off. The lift thus lightened is hoisted into contact with thesupplemental platform ll above it which is raised sufficiently to freeit from the retractable supports 45 and these are swung out of the way.The jacks 6| on the posts 66 are lowered and this platform is lowered tothe main deck, as shown in the middle shaftways Fig. 5, and the carthereon is run off. The lift is next hoisted sufficiently for theplatform to be run off forward onto the main deck and stored while thelift is used to unload and load the cars on the top deck, the betweendeck, and the bottom deck, transferring them to the main deck inunloading and from the main deck in loading, which may be in anysequence. The cars 'on the bottom deck are transferred by thesupplemental platform 53 which is then connected by the suspension rodsto the underside of the lift, as shown in the side shaftways Fig. 5.Preferably after the cars in line on any of the said three decks (top,between and bottom) have been removed the line is filled with cars forthe outgoing load before proceeding with further unloading so as toavoid too great a variation in the level of the vessel and excessiveincline of the bridge leading thereto. On the completion of thereloading of the bottom deck the car to be stored on the supplementalplatform fit is run on to that platform and the platform lowered to itsstorage position and disconnected from the lift.

Assuming that the top and between decks have also been reloaded as aboveset forth the lift is then raised to place its lower platform 28 on alevel with the main deck and the car to be stored on the said platform28 run thereon. The lift is then lowered into position for receiving thesupplemental platform t! and this platform rolled in position onto theupper platform 2'! of the lift and held in position thereon by means ofthe dowel pin 48. The car to be stored on the supplemental platform 4!is then run thereon and the platform raised to storage position asillustrated in the outer shaftways in Fig. 5. The retractable supports46 are then swung into position to support the supplemental platform 4!.

The jacks 6! are then raised into their normal supporting position forthe lift and the lift is lowered in contact therewith, its upperplatform 21 then being on a level with the main deck. The cars are thenrun onto the main deck forward of the lift, the car to be stored on thelift is run thereon and the deck to the rear of the lift is then filledwith its storage cars.

This application is a continuation of my application Ser No. 287,798,filed Aug. 1, 1939.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding and no undue limitation should be inferred therefrom.

I claim:

1. In a vessel comprising a plurality of decks and a shaftway connectingthe decks, the combinatlon of means for supporting vehicles in theshaftway comprising a lift including a main platform, and a supplementalplatform supported on the lift above the main platform for hoisting andlowering; mechanism for supporting the supplemental platform in theshaftway independently of the lift for vehicle storage; and hoistingmechanism embodying cables depending past the supplemental platform andconnected to the lift for operating the lift while the supplementalplatform is independently supported.

2. In a vessel comprising a plurality of decks and a shaftway connectingthe decks, the combination of guides in the shaftway; means forsupporting vehicles in the shaftway comprising a lift directed by theguides and including a main platform, and a supplemental platformnarrower than the distance between the guides and movable out of andinto the shaftway therebetween, said supplemental platform beingsupported on the lift above the main platform for hoisting and lowering;mechanism for supporting the supplemental platform in the shaftwayindependently of the lift for vehicle storage; and hoisting mechanismembodying cables depending past the supplemental platform and connectedto the lift for operating the lift While the supplemental platform isindependently supported.

3. In a vessel comprising a plurality of decks including a main deckfrom which vehicles can be directly loaded and unloaded from the vessel,a deck above the main deck and one or more decks below the main deck,and a shaftway connecting the decks, the combination of means forsupporting vehicles in the shaftway comprising a lift embodying two mainplatforms fixedly connected therewith, and a supplemental platformsupported on the lift above the main platforms for hoisting andlowering; mechanism for supporting the supplemental platform in theshaftway independently of the lift for vehicle storage and above theupper main platform when the lower main platform is in line with themain deck; and hoisting mechanism embodying cables depending past thesupplemental platform and connected to the lift for operating the liftwhile the supplemental platform is independently supported.

4. In a vessel comprising a plurality of decks and a shaftway connectingthe decks, the combination of means for supporting vehicles in theshaftway comprising a lift including a main platform, a supplementalplatform supported on the lift above the main platform for hoisting andlowering, and a second supplemental platform suspended from the liftbelow the main platform for hoisting and lowering and detachabletherefrom for vehicle storage; mechanism for supporting the firstsupplemental platform in the shaftway independently of the lift forvehicle storage; and hoisting mechanism embodying cables depending pastthe first supplemental platform and connected to the lift for operatingthe lift while the first supplemental platform is independentlysupported and the second supplemental platform is detached from thelift.

5. In a vessel comprising a plurality of decks equally spaced apart anda shaftway connecting the decks, the combination of means for supportingvehicles in the shaftway comprising a lift embodying two main platformsfixedly connected therewith and spaced apart a distance substantiallyequal to the distance between the decks, a supplemental platformsupported on the lift above the main platforms for hoisting andlowering, and a second supplemental platform suspended from the liftbelow the main platforms for hoisting and lowering and detachabletherefrom for vehicle storage; mechanism for supporting the firstsupplemental platform in the shaftway independently of the lift forvehicle storage; and hoisting mechanism embodying cables depending pastthe first supplemental platform and connected to the lift for operatingthe lift while the first supplemental platform is independentlysupported and the second supplemenal platform is detached from the lift.

6. In a multiple deck vessel including a main deck from which vehiclescan be directly loaded and unloaded from the vessel, a deck above themain deck and a plurality of decks below the main deck, said declksbeing equally spaced apart, and a shaftway connecting the decks, thecombination of guides in the shaftway; means for supporting vehicles inthe shaftway comprising a lift directed by the guides and embodying twomain platforms fixedly connected to the lift and spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the distance between the decks, a supplementalplatform narrower than the distance between the guides and movable outof and into the shaftway therebetween, said supplemental platform beingsupported on the lift above the main platforms for hoisting andlowering, and a second supplemental platform suspended from the liftbelow the main platforms for hoisting and lowering and detachabletherefrom for vehicle storage; mechanism for suporting the firstsupplemental platform in the shaftway independently of the lift forvehicle storage; and hoisting mechanism embodying cables depending pastthe first supplemental, platform and connected to the lift for operatingthe lift while the first supplemental platform is independentlysupported and the second supplemental platform is detached from thelift.

DELAVAN MUNTSON BALDWIN.

